Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is a healthier version of my famous Dump & Start Alfredo recipe. This healthy alternative is made with evaporated milk instead; NO HEAVY CREAM! Substituting evaporated milk for the heavy cream cuts the calorie and fat content by more than half making this a guilt-free, healthier Alfredo!
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is here for all of you who requested a lighter version of my famous Dump and Start Alfredo Recipe! I tested quite a few different ways to substitute the heavy cream, and I’ve gotta say, this comes pretty dang close to the real thing!
Instead of using heavy cream, this recipe uses evaporated milk. Did you know that heavy cream has 5 times the amount of fat that evaporated milk does? And more than double the calories?
If you are getting ready for swim suit season and trying to was as light as possible, this SKINNY version is 100% made for you!
To make this healthier, evaporated milk is used instead of heavy whipping cream. It comes together a little bit differently than the original recipe though.
For this recipe, the noodles, seasonings and chicken broth cook together in the Instant Pot. The evaporated milk needs to be tempered before being added to the hot noodles and broth.
Once the noodles have finished cooking, taking a few noodles at a time, stir them into the evaporated milk until about half the noodles are in the evaporated milk. At that point it is okay to dump the evaporated milk and noodles back into the Instant Pot.
The tempering is done so the milk doesn’t curdle. Turn the Instant Pot on saute LOW and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese until it melts and thickens the sauce. And there ya have it! SKINNY Alfredo!
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo
(Printable Recipe Below)
Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo is just as tasty as my famous Dump & Start recipe only without the heavy cream! Substituting evaporated milk for the heavy cream cuts the calorie and fat content by more than half making this a guilt-free meal!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp minced garlic dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb dry linguine noodles broken in half
- 3/4-1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the broth, garlic, salt and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Break noodles in half and add to the pot. All noodles should be covered with the broth. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 6 minutes. Allow for a 6 min NPR before QR the pressure. Stir the noddles, some may be slightly stuck together, but that is okay. Once you add in the evaporated milk and warm through, all will be well.
- Pour the evaporated milk into a SEPARATE BOWL. Temper the milk by adding a scoop of noodles at a time into the milk and stirring. Once about half of the noodles have been mixed with the evaporated milk, dump the milk and noodles back into the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute LOW and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the sauce has thickened. Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Skinny Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp minced garlic dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb dry linguine noodles broken in half
- 3/4-1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the broth, garlic, salt and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Break noodles in half and add to the pot. All noodles should be covered with the broth. DO NOT STIR.
- Cook on Manual HIGH for 6 minutes. Allow for a 6 min NPR before QR the pressure. Stir the noddles, some may be slightly stuck together, but that is okay. Once you add in the evaporated milk and warm through, all will be well.
- Pour the evaporated milk into a SEPARATE BOWL. Temper the milk by adding a scoop of noodles at a time into the milk and stirring. Once about half of the noodles have been mixed with the evaporated milk, dump the milk and noodles back into the Instant Pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto Saute LOW and gradually stir in the parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted completely and the sauce has thickened. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Kristen Klenk says
I added chicken and broccoli and it was delicious!
Karli Bitner says
I am so happy to hear this, Kristen!
Courtney says
Did you just add the chicken in with all the ingredients? And how long did you cook for
Linda says
Added frozen chicken tenderloins and cooked for 10 mins. Perfect and delicious. (Broccoli on the side, lol.) Karli, you’re a genius.
Lisa says
Hi,
I just got an IP and want to try this but I can’t have heavy cream or evaporated milk due to the Carrageenan. How would a full fat half and half change things in terms of timing or amounts do you think?
Karli Bitner says
Nope, that shouldn’t change the timing or amounts. You should be okay to substitute it straight across! Hope you enjoy!
Kathryn K says
I need to double this for my family of 6. Would that work or would it be better to do it in two batches?
Karli Bitner says
You could definitely double this in one go. No need to change the cook time. I hope you enjoy!
Linda says
As a matter of fact, I just made this – doubled – 2 nights ago. It was a little soupy at first, but it was awesome after it sat for about 15 minutes. YUM! Also, I use fat-free evaporated milk and it still tastes wonderful.
Karli Bitner says
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Linda! Thanks for the comment!
Shellie Guess says
I’m hoping you can help! If I use zucchini noodles, how much chicken broth would I add to the evaporated milk ?
Thanks!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Shellie- I have actually tested this a few times and the zucchini noodles are tricky. I wouldn’t suggest using the Instant Pot because they turn to mush really fast and let off a lot of liquid. I would suggest making my Alfredo Sauce recipe (you should be able to use evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream) and then serving the over saute’d zucchini noodles. Here is the link for the Alfredo Sauce! https://cookingwithkarli.com/alfredo-sauce-recipe-fast-easy/
Sydney says
Do you have an idea of what a serving size is? 1/2 a cup, a cup? ❤️
Karli Bitner says
Hi Sydney, according to the pasta package, 1 serving is 2 oz of dry pasta. In this recipe we use 8 ounces, so 4 servings. I’m not positive on the final amount, as I haven’t measured it out, but once the recipe is complete you can divide it in fourths and that would be your serving.
Latasha Nelson says
Do you have any advice on if we wanted to add thawed chicken breast & frozen broccoli?
My bf is not a big pasta or soup person so I know if if didn’t add chicken, he’d still feel hungry 🙄😂
Karli Bitner says
Hi Latasha- First, I would suggest cooking the broccoli separately. Broccoli has a cook time of 0 minutes so it would be completely disintegrated if it cooked for 6 minutes. haha If you’d like to add chicken, you can just toss frozen chicken tenders on top of the pasta and keep the same cook time. Hope this helps!
Shannon says
Would you change anything if you used 1/2 lb fettuccine instead of linguine? My family prefers a bigger noodle with alfredo.
Thanks!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Shannon- I would just adjust the cook time to 8 minutes with a 6 minute NPR to take the larger noodle into consideration.
Barbara Hummel says
I recently made the instantpot skinny Alfredo with the evaporated milk. The taste was great but as fast as I put it in the dish, it became very dry and stuck together. I followed the recipe as printed, but need a way to prevent this from. Happening. I used 1 cup of the evaporated milk. If I were to use a couple ounces more would it solve the problem and stay creamy? If so will we lose the parmesan flavor? We want the lesser fat but not the dry clumping. HELP!
Karli Bitner says
I Barbara! Yes, you could definitely add a few more ounces of evaporated milk. It wouldn’t hurt the flavor at all!
Dorothy says
I got an instant pot for Christmas and this recipe was my second endeavor. It was simple and delicious. Even my picky son loved it!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Dorothy! I am so glad that you and your son loved this recipe!! I hope you are enjoying your Instant Pot. 🙂
Rebecca says
This was delicious and so easy – thank you! I wanted to note that I have used evaporated milk in an Instant Pot mac & cheese recipe and just dumped it in (per the instructions) with no curdling issues. I figured it was worth a try the easy way on this and just poured it in at the end of this with no problems. No need for the extra step (at least in my experience)!
Karli Bitner says
Thanks for the comment Rebecca!! 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed this meal!
Shelagh says
Do you know the serving size of the alfredo sauce and the number of smartpoints for WW per serving? Thank you!
Karli Bitner says
Hi Shelagh, I don’t know anything about smart points, I am sorry!!
Marybeth says
So good! As a nursing student who craves fettuccine alfredo, this recipe has become one of my faves!
I’ve added low-sodium chicken broth and some spinach as well.
Thanks, Karli!
Karli Bitner says
Delicious! I am so glad that you have found my recipe! Thanks for the kind comment, means the world to me!!
Madalene MaGee says
If I double the recipe, I see I do not need to change the time on my instantpot correct? Also if I double the recipe do I double the chicken broth as well?
Karli Bitner says
Hi Madalene- you are correct on everything! Double all of the ingredients (liquid included) and keep the cook time the same.
Emily says
Would I be able to make this in a slow cooker?
Karli Bitner says
Hi Emily, This recipe will not work in the slow cooker without adjusting the measurements. Sorry about that!
Courtney says
How would you add chicken to this recipe? Would you simply add the chicken with the broth, linguini, etc?
Karli Bitner says
You can actually just toss frozen chicken tenders on top of the pasta and keep the same cook time, everything will cook together! Hope this helps!
Cheryl says
Excellent! I love alfredo, and I love it more when it’s “skinny”! I used 2 FRESH boneless, skinless chicken breasts (salt & peppered them on both sides) & laid them on top. The cooking time is the same as the recipe indicates. I also simply dumped the evaporated milk straight into the pot at the end…no tempering needed; no curdling issue at all. Thanks for posting this great recipe!
Karli Bitner says
Thanks for that detailed review including your modifications! This will be so helpful for other readers!
Melinda says
I love that this is make vegan with just a few minor adjustments. Thanks for a great recipe.
Karli Bitner says
Good job Melinda! I’m glad you were able to change some things and it still worked out.
Glinda says
I used Half and Half because I didn’t have evaporated milk on hand. Tempered as per your instructions. Turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Karli Bitner says
I’m so glad it worked out Glinda, thanks for the comment! I hope you have a wonderful day.